Cotton-picker finger.



B. 0. WHITE.

COTTON PIGKER FINGER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1911.

1,008,230. Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

MODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRUCE CLARK WHITE, 0]? WOONSOCKET: RHODE" ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO PRICE- CAMPBELL COTTON PICKER CORPORATION, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORP PORATION OF DELAWARE.

corron-rrcxnn mm Specification of Letters Patent. 1

Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

Originalapplication filed January 18, 1909, Serial No. 472,908. Divided and this application filed Januarv Serial No. 601,913.

(Model.)

0 all whom 1' t may concern.-

Be itknown that I, BRUCE CLARK WHITE, citizen of the United States, residing at VVoonsocket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Picker Fingers, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

,This application is a division of my application Serial No. 472,908, filed January 18, 1909, for cotton pickers.

The present invention relates to cotton picker fingers, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a picker finger embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the finger, between its teeth; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of the body of the finger showing a rear view of the teeth; Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of part of the body of the finger showing a plan view of the teeth; Fig.

5 is a detail view, in perspective, of the.

driven end of the finger, and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are, respectively, a side view, a section, and a plan view of a portion of the finger showing an alternative form or design of the teeth.

In the accompanying drawings, the picker finger is indicated by 136. One of its novel features lies in the fact that the depth of the longitudinal V-shaped groove 163 is just equal to the depth of the lateral grooves 164, between the teeth, whereby the bottoms of the grooves form a continuous plane or flat surface extending to the periphery of the circle of the section. The finger ma bedescribed as a round, tapered bar, attened along one side and having raised or formed upon such flat surface and extending halfway across it, crosswise pointed teeth. The crosswlse grooves 164 are of such form that the metal left between them forms ridgecotton with which they may come in contact, and while rotating will wind upon themselves such strand or fiber, and with it other cotton adhering thereto. The teeth 165 are shown as diagonal, orinclined toward the finger point. This inclination,.together with the tapered formof the finger (the finger tapers from its butt or driven end to its free end,) facilitates the stripping or endwise removal of the cotton wound upon the finger as the latter is pulled through between the metallic edges of the stripping device with which the cotton-picking machines in which the fingers are installed are provided. 7

It will be understood that in operation the frequent contact of the revolving fingers with the stalks or branches of the cotton plant is apt to cause sap to adhere to-the fingers, and especially in the grooves thereof. Brushes in the-path of the fingers are provided in cotton picker machines to remove this sap.

All the fingers have their teeth in the 'mechanisms are provided. The cylindrical butt end portion 1350f the finger is a sliding fit in such a bushing, and the shoulder 145 at the inner end of the cylindrical portion 135 is engaged by a nut which holds the finger in place when it is in use; and the construction shown is such that when the fingers are in use, their flat-bottomed grooves will be presented to brushes in the machine in the most efiective manner. Such brushes have their bristles or wires so as to contact with the flat surfaces of the grooves 164 between the teeth and across the flat surface of the longitudinal groove 163, thereby cleaning every part thereof thoroughly.

In Figs. 1 and 5, the enlarged cylindrical portion 135 practically insures breakage of the finger, in case of accident, at a point removed toward the free end of the finger, from the shoulder 145; that is, at a point outside of the finger-holding mechanism. If the finger were not enlarged at 135, where 'it is mainly held in the finger-receiving mechanism, then the finger might break within the finger-holding mechanism, with the consequence of some danger of injuring the parts holding the finger, and with the disadvantage of leaving the broken butt end portion of the finger-holding mechanism so as to make removal of the broken butt end portion difiicult. It is to be understood that in the operation of cotton-picking machines there is almost inevitably a considerable degree of finger breakage.

' In Figs. 6, 7 and 8, I illustrate an alternative form of teeth, in which the finger and the longitudinalgroove 163 with its flat surface is similar to that shown in the other figures. The teeth, however, instead of being cut diagonally are cut squarely across the finger, whereby exceedingly sharp, needle-like points are given to the teeth, as shown in Fig. 6.

Facility for readily stripping the cotton from the finger teeth is afforded by the fiat incline of the surfaces 167 of the teeth. In the form shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, it will be noted that the fiat surfaces 163 and 164:, forming the bottom of the longitudinal and crosswise grooves, are continuous, as in the other figures, for the ready removal of sap therefrom.

I have not herein illustrated the mechanism for holding the fingers, as one form of such mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 35, 36, 37 and 42 of my said parent application.

incense The butt end eccentric extension 137 is a kind of terminal key device, and the finger referred to is adapted for rotation when in use.

' W hat ll claim is 1. A rotatable cotton picking finger for use in cotton picking machines, said finger having a terminal key portion that is annular in cross-section and disposed eccentrically of its longitudinal axis; said terminal portion being at the butt end of the finger and adapted for engagement with mechanism for rotating the finger.

2. A rotatable finger for cotton picking machines, consisting of a tapered bar circular in cross-section and provided with a row of teeth the ends of which point toward the smaller end of the tapered finger, and formed with a flat surface which extends lengthwise of the toothed portion of the finger and transversely between the teeth, the teeth overhanging said longitudinal flat surface and the points of the teeth being within the circle of the cylindrical body of the finger.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BRUCE CLARK WHITE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD S. BEACH, F. E. NARES. 

